MBA student nabs convocation award

Precious medals

By Meaghan Whelan

As a member of the Dean’s List, multiple scholarship winner,
Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies and holder of the highest
academic standing in the graduating MBA class, it wasn’t a
surprise to classmates or professors when Wendy Brant won the
University Medal for Excellence in an All-Course Master’s
Program.

One thing that was unusual was that Ms. Brant was the eighth female
MBA student to win the medal in the 12-year history of the
award.

The legacy of success started in 1997 when Peggy Coady won the
first University Medal for Excellence in an All-Course
Master’s Program. Previous to that, there was one graduate
medal which normally went to a student in a thesis-based program.
When the new medal was created, female MBA students began a record
of success that Ms. Brant is continuing.

Ms. Brant, a native of Belleville, Ont., came to Memorial after
completing an environmental engineering degree at the University of
Waterloo to find a general MBA program that had international
opportunities.

“One of the highlights of my program was a semester at EGADE,
ITESM, in Monterrey, Mexico. The chance to meet other students,
live in another country and take courses with a completely
different focus than those offered at Memorial was
fantastic,” she said.

This international experience coupled with her previous degree gave
Ms. Brant a unique perspective in the classroom.

“One of the strengths of Memorial’s MBA program is the
diverse backgrounds of the students,” she explained.
“Through discussions and group work you can learn a lot from
your classmates that really complements the traditional in-class
learning.”

She also credits the professors in the Faculty of Business for
being so supportive.

“There are great professors in the Faculty of Business who
act as mentors to their students in all business disciplines. For
female students especially, there are great role models like Peggy
Coady and Dale Foster,” she explained.

Ms. Coady, the inaugural winner of the medal, is now the director
of graduate programs in the Faculty of Business and she nominated
Ms. Brant for the award.

“I taught Wendy and I can attest to her intellectual ability,
strong work ethic, and professionalism,” Ms. Coady said.
“I personally believe she is one of the strongest candidates
we have ever seen in the 25-year history of the MBA in the Faculty
of Business Administration.”

When Ms. Brant graduated last month, she already had a position
lined up that combines her environmental engineering background
with her management skills.

“I’m going to be travelling for a few months and then
starting work in Northern Vermont as a regional manager of
environment, health and safety with Ethan Allan.”